Friday, May 7, 2010

mercidato

one of my favorite restaurants from new york city has finally opened in chicago.
mercidato is an an amazing place to get ice cold margaritas, tacos make of fresh seasonal ingredients, and thick and spicy guacamole.
hopefully this is a sign they are making their way out west! 

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

paula dean has brown casserole from oprah

my mom, being an avid oprah follower, saw this recipe today and asked me to get it for her off the internet. after reading the ingredients, i knew it was something that was right up my alley.
i will let you know when i try it out.
  • 3 Tbsp. butter
  • 1 small yellow onion , chopped
  • 4 cups frozen shredded hash browns
  • 1 pound bulk sausage , mild, hot or sage
  • 2 1/4 cups whole milk
  • 8 large eggs
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
  • 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • 8 cups cubed French or Italian bread , crusts removed
  • 2 cups (1/2 pound) grated cheddar cheese
  • 2 cups (1/2 pound) freshly grated Parmesan
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°.

Spray a deep 13" x 9" casserole dish with vegetable oil cooking spray.

Melt the butter in a large frying pan. Add the onion and sauté over medium-low heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the hash browns and break apart. Sauté until soft, about 5 minutes.

In a second frying pan, sauté the sausage, breaking apart large clumps. When the sausage is cooked through, remove it from pan.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the milk, eggs, salt, pepper, nutmeg and mustard, and briskly stir to blend.

To assemble, spread the onions and hash browns evenly at the bottom of the greased dish. Place the bread cubes evenly on top of hash browns. With a slotted spoon, distribute sausage as the third layer. Pour the milk and egg mixture over these layers. Add Parmesan as the next layer, while then adding the cheddar*.

Bake the casserole uncovered for 45 to 50 minutes, until puffed and golden brown.

*Cook's note: Save a few tablespoons of cheddar for the last 10 minutes of baking, when you can add a fresh topping of melted cheddar
.
 

http://www.oprah.com/food/Paula-Deens-Hash-Brown-Casserole



Friday, April 23, 2010

cake monkey!!!

yes, its true. my all time favorite makers of the thinnest oatmeal cookies with maple cream in between them, mini red velvet cakes with raspberry cream, and the mini black and white cake dipped in chocolate frosting with cookie crumbs will have a pop up store in silver lake this weekend.
i know i said bridal boot camp would begin, but maybe i can stop and get something after? 


POP GOES THE MONKEY!  Come to our Pop-Up Sale April 23 - 25 at 2912 Rowena Ave. in Silver Lake.  Li'l Merri Ice Cream Sandwiches and more!